


All Is Fair In Love and War

by JayStarr



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Countries Using Human Names, Dark!Germania, Dirty Talk, Forced Bonding, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Pregnancy Kink, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-05-13 19:29:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14754900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayStarr/pseuds/JayStarr
Summary: War is brewing, and it’s getting closer to the Roman Empire.  In order top protect his omega grandsons, Emperor Roma sent the eldest to a Spanish alpha prince and the other to a nearby cathedral.  Even there, Feliciano worries for not only his own safety, but also his grandfather’s.Germania knew this war could break Roma’s influence on the world.  He knows he is better than Roma, that he is no longer second best, and he’s willing to do anything to prove it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I’ve been a fan of omegaverse, especially Hetalia omegaverse. I even found two fics on this site, but I unfortunately didn’t bookmark them, and now I can’t find them. I hoping someone recognizes at least one of them and tells me, so I can reread them.
> 
> One of them is a medieval AU where Prussia and Austria were married, and they were the rulers of a kingdom. Germany and North Italy knew each other when they were young and were betrothed to each other. South Italy has hated Germany for that since they were young. It also had Russia/China, Us/Uk, and a few others. Russia was kicked out of his group and was forced to wander the lands for like five years. He ran into China at one of his stops. China went into heat, and they mated and knotted. They ended up at Prussia’s castle, where China was left with their baby. They eventually have like eleven kids. I think human name should were used, but I can’t remember.
> 
> The second one was a tournament like fiction that had the omegas run into an enclosed area with the alphas following behind after about ten minutes. This one had Germany/North Italy, Us/Uk, and Canada/France. I know for a fact that this one had human names. Anyway, I remember a part where Italy runs into a cave, curls up in a ball, and waits for the inevitable. Germany finds him, but he’s really kind to him. They get interrupted by a pack of alphas, and Germany beats the shit out of them. America finds and saves England from a bad alpha, and those two mate. Afterwards, America freaks out about how Canada was in the tournament and how France wanted to mate with him, only to find out that those two had mated and bonded with the other.
> 
> I cannot for the life of me find either one of these, and I’m so pissed about it. Both of them are so good.

Feliciano frowned as he stared out the window of the castle.  The ocean continued to crash onto the sandy beach.

 He sighed sadly, frowning.

 “Feliciano,” his grandfather, Roma, said behind him.  “This won’t be for very long.” He kept his gaze on the ocean.  Roma sighed. “I promise.”

 Feliciano remained quiet.

 “Feli,” Roma continued, “please say something.  I don’t like silence.”

 “What do want me to say?!”  Feliciano whipped around. Tears brimmed his eyes.  “That it's okay? It’s okay for my grandfather to send away my only brother to some _guy_ in a some foreign kingdom.  It’s okay for my grandfather to ship me off to a cathedral in the village where I can be taken by any Alpha who wants me!”

 Roma stared down at Feliciano as tears streamed down the young man’s face.

 “Feli.”  Roma placed his hands onto Feliciano’s shoulders.  He looked up at his grandfather. “You’ll be fine. Lovino will be fine.  He’s safe with Antonio. You’ll be safe in the cathedral. Many omegas have been safe there for centuries.”

  “What if they find me?”  Feliciano stared out the window again.

  “They won’t find you there.”

  Roma turned Feliciano’s head towards him.

  “I promise you.  Okay?”

  Feliciano averted his gaze.

  “There’s several omegas there that you can make friends with.”  Roma smiled as he released Feliciano’s chin.  “There’s Yao and Tino and Matthew.  You’re quick to make friends.”

  Roma’s smile grew even wider.

  Feliciano remained cold faced.

  “You’ll be safe there.”

  “What if they decide to attack the cathedral?”

  Roma frowned.

  “They won’t.  They respect religious temples too greatly to do that.”

  “You’re putting a lot of faith into that.”

  “It’s because I know it’s true.  They would never attack anyone in a cathedral.”

  Feliciano frowned even more as he turned away towards the window again.

  “When are we leaving?” Feliciano asked.

  “Tomorrow,” Roma answered.  He heard Feliciano sigh heavily.

 

  Germania stared at the war table.

  One of his grandsons, Ludwig, stood not five feet away from him.

  “I want you and the others to scout out this road,” Germania said as he ran his finger down a side road on the map.  “Report back what you find.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ludwig replied.

  “We are here,” Germania continued, pressing his finger into the map where hills were supposed to be, and according to the map, was about twenty miles away from the side road.  “Shouldn’t take you all too long.”

  “When do you want us to go?” Ludwig asked.

  “First thing in the morning.”

  Ludwig nodded his head.

  “I’ll tell the others.”

  “Don’t get distracted.”  Germania turned and looked at him.  “I know how you all are around omegas, especially Ivan.  Try to keep him on a leash.”

  “Yes, sir.  I’ll try.”

  Ludwig bowed his head again before he turned and left the tent.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For lesser known countries.
> 
> Sweden— Berwald.  
> Finland— Tino. (Have no idea why people don’t use the name Finn for him)  
> Ukraine— Sofia.  
> Estonia— Eduard.  
> Belarus— Natalya.  
> Lithuania— Toris.  
> Latvia— Raivis.  
> Liechtenstein— Lili.  
> Switzerland— Basch.  
> Turkey— Sadiq.  
> Denmark— Mikkel.  
> Norway— Lukas.  
> Iceland— Emil.  
> Hungary— Elizabeta.  
> Wy— Wilma.  
> Seborga— Ezio.

  Feliciano was awake by the time Roma came into his room.

  The sun barely reached past the mountain peaks, bleeding into the purple-orange sky.

  Feliciano stood, fully dressed, by his window, taking in one last look at the mountain range.

  “Are you ready?” Roma asked.

  “Yes,” Feliciano replied, not looking at him.  “My bag’s over by the door.”

  Roma glanced at the fancy brown leather bag that was placed beside the door.

  “The guards are going to take you to the cathedral,” Roma said, turning back to his grandson.

  Feliciano snapped towards him.

  “You’re not taking me?”  Feliciano’s voice broke as he spoke.

  “No.”  Roma shook his head.  “I’m sorry, but I’m not.”

  Feliciano’s shoulders fell as he looks down at the floor.

  “I’m sorry, my child,” Roma continued.  “Sadiq and Mikkel will take you to the cathedral.  They’ll take you through the back ways.  It’ll be safer for you.”

  Feliciano’s gaze remained on the floor in front of his feet.

  “You don’t even want to say goodbye,” Feliciano whispered.  He fiddled with the hem of his long off white tunic.

  “That’s not true.”  Roma made his way over to his grandson and wrapped his arms around him.

  Feliciano shuddered softly in Roma’s arms.

  Roma stroked Feliciano’s auburn hair.

  The bedroom door opened.

  A tall masked dark olive skinned man stepped inside.  Roma turned towards him.

  “Yes?” Roma asked.  “What is it, Sadiq?”

  “The horses are ready, your majesty,” Sadiq said.

  Feliciano wrapped his arms tighter around Roma’s waist.  He buried his face further into his grandfather’s chest.

  “You’ll be safe there,” Roma whispered.  “I promise.”

  Feliciano kept his gaze down as he pulled away from Roma and made his way over to the door.

  “Follow me,” Sadiq said, grabbing Feliciano’s bag on the way out of the room.

  Feliciano didn’t even bother to close the door behind him.

  The walk to the outside was long and quiet, with the only sound of their feet landing on the carpeted floor.

  Mikkel waited beside a pair of dark brown horses.

  “Are you ready, your majesty?” Mikkel asked, looking down at the young omega with a smile.

  Feliciano didn’t look up at him, only nodding in response.

  “Alright then,” Mikkel said.  He interlocked his fingers and lowered his hands.

  Feliciano placed his foot into Mikkel’s hands before the larger man helped him onto the back of the horse.

  “You ready?” Mikkel asked, looking at Sadiq.

  “Yeah,” Sadiq answered, pulling out his dual hook swords from their sheaths on his back.

  Sadiq turned and faced a large thick oak tree.  He sprinted towards it.  He stabbed his swords into the trunk of the tree before flipping onto one of the limbs.

  Sadiq looked down at Mikkel and Feliciano.  He and Mikkel nodded to each other.

  “C’mon,” Mikkel said, lightly kicking the sides of his horse.  Feliciano followed suit.

  Sadiq lept from tree limb to tree limb over their heads.

 

~~~~

 

  “Are you all ready?” Ludwig asked, staring at the three other men.

  All wore simple clothing aside from their necklaces they have showing their allegiance to Germania, which they would hide underneath their jackets.

  “Yes,” Berwald said, standing from his seat.

  “Good,” Ludwig replied.  “Let’s get a move on.”

  The three other men followed out of the tent before they all mounted their horses and hurried off.

 

~~~~

 

  A couple of hours passed.

  Sadiq and Mikkel lead Feliciano throughout the back ways, often stopping to make sure no one was following them.

  Sadiq pressed his ear against the handle of his knife that he stabbed into a tree.

  Mikkel and Feliciano stopped, waiting for the signal.

  Vibrations were amplified by the knife.

  Sadiq’s eyes widened when he heard the knife vibrate violently.  Horses.  Four of them.

  He turned, cupping his mouth with his hands.  His whistle was identical to natural bird calls.

  Mikkel gasped, looking up at the tree limbs above their heads.

  “This way, your majesty,” Mikkel said.  He grabbed hold of Feliciano’s reins and steered him away from the trail.  Mikkel kicked the sides of his horse before they sprinted off.

  _This trail should be empty,_  Sadiq thought as he pulled his knife out of the tree.

  He lept from the tree limb to tree limb.

  He stopped when he saw the four men on horseback.

  _Who the fuck are these guys?_  Sadiq thought.

  Sadiq lept from the tree limb.

 

  Ludwig glanced upward as birds flew from the trees.  He held up his hand.

  Gilbert, Berwald, and Ivan stopped their horses.

  Sadiq jumped from a tree limb.  He stabbed a hook sword into a tree before leaning towards the group of men.

  Ludwig kept his gaze on the trees.

  Ivan pulled his bow from off of his back as well as an arrow from his quiver.  He pulled the arrow tight on his bowstring, raising the bow above his head.

  Sadiq removed his hook sword from the tree.  He turned and jumped again.

  Ivan raised his bow before releasing his arrow.

  Sadiq tensed when the arrow landed firmly into his foot.  His body slammed into the tree before falling backwards.  He groaned whenever he fell onto a branch.  He groaned even harder when he landed flat on his back on the ground.

  The four men dismounted their horses.  They all stood over him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things: some people’s appearances are based on the manga series (Sweden, Russia, Ukraine) whereas some people’s appearances are based on the anime (North Italy, Belarus, Latvia).
> 
> I also changed some of their heights as well. All of the alphas tend to be between 5’8” to 5’11”, but Sadiq is around 6’1” or 6’2”, and Berwald is going to be significantly taller than he actually is in the manga and anime, standing around 6’4” or 6’5”.
> 
> All the omegas are their original heights as they are in the manga and anime.

  “Ah... fuck,” Sadiq complained.  “That one hurt.”

  Ludwig glared down at him as Sadiq opened his eyes.

  “Who are you?” Ludwig demanded, lowering himself down to his level.

  “None of your damn business,” Sadiq retorted.

  Sadiq looked between the four men.  Each one smelled similar, but all were distinct in their scents.

  The blonde man that kneeled in front of him smelled of a strong pine forest.  The blonde man with violet eyes smelled of thick hot bonfire.  The third blonde man, the one with greenish-blue eyes hiding behind a pair of glasses, smelled of an oak tree that had been recently rained upon.  The only albino smelled of deeply rich lumber wood.

  Ludwig frowned down at Sadiq.  His gaze fell to the arrow impaled through Sadiq’s foot.  Ludwig reached down and grabbed hold of the arrow, twisting it within his foot.

  “Ahh!  Fuck!” Sadiq cried, throwing back his head.

  “Tell me, and we’ll take care of this,” Ludwig explained.

  Sadiq remained quiet as he averted his gaze.

  “My name is Abraham,” Sadiq lied, looking between the men.  “What's your names?”

  “I’m Ludwig.”  He gestured to the blonde man with violet eyes.  “Ivan.”  Ludwig turned and looked at the third blonde man with greenish-blue eyes hiding behind a pair of glasses.  “Berwald.”  He gestured to the white haired albino man with red eyes.  “My brother, Gilbert.”

  Sadiq watched each one carefully as Berwald stepped behind him.

  Berwald reached down, wrapped his arms around Sadiq’s waist, and lifted him off of the ground.

  “What are you doing?” Sadiq cried, grabbing at Berwald’s hands.  “Let me go, you big lug!”

  Sadiq flailed arms and legs, kicking Berwald in the legs and elbowing him in his neck and face.

  Ivan grabbed hold of Sadiq’s leg.

  Ludwig grabbed the arrow and broke off the tip before yanking the rest out of Sadiq’s foot.

  “Ahh!  Fucking hell!” Sadiq shouted.  He gritted his teeth.  “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

  Gilbert grabbed a waterskin from one of the horses.  He stepped closer and grabbed hold of Sadiq’s ankle, placing Sadiq’s foot onto his thigh.  Gilbert placed his feet firmly apart from each other.

  “This is gonna hurt,” Gilbert warned before he bit off the cork.  He poured the wine over Sadiq’s injured foot.

  Sadiq tensed, throwing back his head again.

  The light purple liquid mixed with Sadiq’s red blood, and both dripped from his open wound.

  Sadiq howled in pain.

  “Are you in pain?” Gilbert asked with a sly smile.

  Sadiq glared at him.  He raised his other leg and swiftly planted it in between Gilbert’s thighs.

  Ivan, Ludwig, and Berwald all gasped.

  Gilbert’s eyes widened as they watered.  He dropped both the waterskin and Sadiq’s foot.  Gilbert cupped himself, falling to the ground.

  “Argh!” Gilbert cried.  “Fucking hell!”  He rolled back and forth on his back.

  “Are you in pain, you fucking bitch?!” Sadiq shouted, ripping free from Berwald’s grasp.

  Sadiq looked between the three standing men.  His gaze landed on Berwald.

  “Wow,” Sadiq muttered to himself.  “And I thought I was tall.”

  “You fucking bastard!” Gilbert screamed.  “You busted my balls.”

  Ludwig frowned, narrowing his eyes, at Sadiq.

  His mask was an medium eggshell white, being a great contrast to his dark olive skin and covering his face from his sharp cheekbones all the up underneath his long eyebrows.  It was clipped into his dark brown hair.

  Germania’s words echoed in Ludwig’s head.

  _“Beware.  Roma has a skilled man fighting for him.  He’s a mercenary.  His loyalty lies with the highest bidder.”_

_“What do you know about him?” Ludwig asked._

_“I tried to hire him.  Once, but Roma has deeper pockets.  All I know of him is that he wears a mask and no alpha comes close to him when it comes to fighting.  His name is Sadiq, by the way.”_

  Sadiq’s gaze fell onto Gilbert’s black cross necklace that had fallen out from underneath his shirt.

  Sadiq’s eyes widened.

  Ludwig frowned even harder.  He glanced at Berwald, quickly gesturing to Sadiq with his eyes.

  Berwald crept quietly behind Sadiq and pinning the smaller man against his chest.

  This time, Sadiq didn’t struggle.  He barely even moved or make a sound.  He only frowned, staring at Ludwig.

  “So, you’re Sadiq?” Ludwig asked, stepping over Gilbert’s shuddering body.  “You’re not I expected.”

  “And you’re Germania’s spies?” Sadiq retorted.  “You’re dumber than what I thought you would be.”

  Ivan chuckled softly, drawing another arrow.

  “Should we kill you now or bring you back to get some information outta you?” Ludwig asked, rubbing his chin.

  Sadiq chuckled out loud.

  Ludwig frowned as Berwald and Ivan stared at him.

  Sadiq threw back his head, laughing even harder.

  “You think you caught me?” Sadiq asked after his laughter died down.  Sadiq looked at Ludwig with a sly smile danced across his lips.  “You thought it was going to be _that_  easy?”

  Ludwig remained quiet, narrowing his eyes.

  Sadiq chuckled again, dropping his head.  He shook his head for a moment before looking back up at Ludwig.  His sly smile was still on his face.

  “You’re so adorable,” Sadiq said.

  Ludwig’s eyebrows furrowed.

  Sadiq ran up Ludwig’s body.

  Blood spurted from Ludwig’s nose.  Ludwig crashed onto his brother.  Both of them groaned out loud.

  Ivan pulled an arrow back onto his bow.

  Sadiq lept over Berwald as Ivan released the arrow.

  The arrow landed firmly into Berwald’s shoulder.

  Sadiq landed behind Berwald before he swept his feet underneath Berwald’s, knocking him onto his side.

  “Argh!” Berwald cried.

  Ivan fired another arrow.

  Sadiq turned his shoulder.  The arrow landed into the tree behind him.

  Ivan fired a third arrow.

  Sadiq dived for his hook swords.

  Ivan aimed for him.

  The arrow split in half as Sadiq raised his swords.

  Ludwig, Berwald, and Sadiq all gathered to their feet.

  Ivan fired again.

  Sadiq backed up, cutting through the arrows.  He turned to the four horses.

  “No, no, no,” Ludwig cried, sprinting forward.

  “Hyah!” Sadiq shouted, smacking the horses across their bottoms.

  The horses reared up, whinnying loudly, before they sprinted forward.

  “Häl!” Berwald shouted.

  One horse, the one with white and brown marbling fur, stopped on the spot.

  “Berwald!” Ludwig ordered.

  The tallest man turned and grabbed hold of one horse’s reins before yanking hard.

  The horse stopped.

  Berwald rushed after the other three horses.

  Ludwig turned back to Sadiq as the taller man came at him.

  “Shit,” Ludwig grumbled, gripping the handle of his sword and pulled it from the sheath.

  Sadiq swung at him.

  Their swords chimed when they struck each other.  The pieces of metal vibrated.

  Ivan raised his bow again.

  Sadiq turned.  He slashed through the arrow.

  Half of the arrow scraped Ludwig’s cheek.

  Sadiq placed Ludwig in between himself and Ivan, even as Ivan tried to move into a position to fire an arrow.

  Gilbert struggled to stand.  His legs trembled.

  Sadiq glanced over his shoulder.

  Gilbert stepped forward.

  Sadiq turned and slammed his foot in between Gilbert’s thighs again.

  Gilbert groaned, cupping himself and falling onto his knees.

  Sadiq turned back to Ludwig.

  The blonde thrusted his sword, aiming right for Sadiq’s throat.

  “Shit,” Sadiq grumbled.  He caught both of his dual hook swords on Ludwig’s sword.

  Both men gritted their teeth.  Their arms trembled.

  Ludwig inched his sword closer.

  Sadiq leaned backwards.

  Ivan raised his bow and fired an arrow.

  The arrow scraped Sadiq’s ear, carving a way through his flesh.

  Berwald returned, holding the reins of the two other horses that had run off.  Berwald released them and hurried to his horse.

  “Hyah,” he said, slapping his horse.

  The horse sprinted forward.

  Sadiq’s eyes widened.  He lowered himself before he tossed Ludwig over his shoulder.  Sadiq dived out of the way of the stampeding horse.

  “Häl!” Berwald shouted, sprinting forward.  He slammed his foot against Sadiq’s stomach.

  Sadiq coughed.

  Berwald kicked his arms out from underneath him.

  Sadiq collapsed onto the ground.

  Berwald grabbed hold of Sadiq’s shoulders.

  Sadiq released his dual hook swords, balling his fist and slamming one into Berwald’s stomach.

  Ivan raised his bow again.  He fired an arrow.

  Sadiq turned Berwald.

  The arrow land firmly into Berwald’s ass.

  “Ergh!” Berwald growled, throwing back his head.

  “Sorry!” Ivan shouted, growing pale in the face.

  Sadiq grabbed hold of Berwald’s arm and flipped him over his shoulder.  Sadiq brought the side of his hand down onto Berwald’s neck.

  Berwald tensed before he collapsed on his side.  His body felt heavy, unable to move his limbs.

  Ivan fired another arrow.

  The arrow ripped through Sadiq’s shoulder sleeve.

  Sadiq grabbed hold of his dual hook swords.

  Ivan fired again.

  Sadiq raised his sword, slicing the arrow.

  Ivan fired another arrow.

  Sadiq slashed through the arrow.

  Ivan back up as Sadiq stepped forward.

  Another arrow scraped Sadiq’s body.

  Sadiq swung one of his dual hook swords.  The metal connected with the wood from the bow.

  The wood split in half as the string became lax.

  “Dammit,” Ivan murmured as his eyes widened.

  Sadiq turned as Ludwig ran up, drawing back his fist.

  Sadiq grabbed hold of Ivan’s scarf and yanked it off of him.

  Ivan spun and fell onto the ground.

  Sadiq turned.

  Ludwig threw out his fist.

  Sadiq caught Ludwig’s arm, wrapping his arm with the scarf.  He lept over him before he yanked on the scarf.

  Ludwig’s fist slammed against his cheek.

  Sadiq yanked on the scarf again.

  Ludwig groaned before he fell to the ground.

  Ivan bolted onto his feet.

  Sadiq stumbled over his own feet.

  Ivan still ran towards him.

  Sadiq turned and grabbed hold of Ludwig’s neglected sword.  He turned and held it up.

  The blade slid into Ivan’s thigh, barely missing the bone.

  “Ugh,” Ivan groaned.  He fell to his knees when Sadiq pulled the sword out from inside him.  “Ah— fuck.”

  Ivan covered his wound as blood pooled underneath his knees and stained his clothes.

  Sadiq stood with a smirk across his face.

  He lifted his foot and gently pushed Ivan onto his back.

  “Well, shit,” Sadiq said as he looked at the four downed men.  He grabbed hold of his dual hook swords and held them in one hand before he went back over to Ludwig’s side and kneeled before him.  “Valiant effort.”

  Sadiq grabbed hold of Ludwig’s chin and forced him to look at him.

  “Really,” Sadiq continued.  “I’m almost impressed.”

  Ludwig gritted his teeth.

  “But, of course,” Sadiq said, “none of you are a match for me.”  Sadiq smiled, shaking his head softly.

  Ludwig tore his chin from Sadiq’s touch.

  “Oh well,” Sadiq complained.  He stood.  “I have something more important to deal with now.”  Sadiq shifted his dual hook swords into opposite hands.  He stepped backwards before he turned.

  Ludwig lunged forward, trying to catch Sadiq’s feet, but only to fall flat onto his face when Sadiq had sprinted towards a tree and disappeared into the treetops.

  “Dammit,” Ludwig growled.  He turned and looked at the other three men.

 

~~~~

 

  Feliciano glanced again over his shoulder.

  “Do you think he’s in any trouble?” Feliciano asked.

  “He’s fine,” Mikkel answered.  Leaves rustled above their heads.  “See?  He’s here, keeping an eye on us.”  Bird swooped down before disappearing back into the trees.  “Nope.  Nope.  No, that’s a bird.”

  “What if he got killed?” Feliciano asked, bringing his hands against his chest.

  “Don’t worry.”  Mikkel glanced at him.  “After I drop you off, I’ll go look for him, okay?”  Mikkel flashed Feliciano a smile.

  Feliciano stared at him.  His cheeks grew hot as he looked back at his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Häl means heel in Swedish. At least that’s what google translate says.


	4. Chapter 4

  Feliciano glanced over his shoulder again as he and Mikkel stopped in front of the cathedral.

  The front door opened wide, and a young woman with long brown hair and large green eyes.  She smiled wide when she saw Feliciano.

  “Feli!” the woman shouted, throwing out her arms and running to him.

  Feliciano dismounted quickly and hugged her.

  “Elizabeta!” Feliciano cried as they pulled away from each other.  “It’s so good to see you again.  How’s the baby doing?”

  “He’s doing great,” Elizabeta answered.  Despite having a smile on her lips, her eyes were filled with sadness.

  “Mama,” eight year old Lukas said as he stepped from inside the cathedral.  He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.  His eyes widened when he saw Mikkel before he ran up to him.  “Mikkel!  Mikkel!”

  “Hey, buddy,” Mikkel said.

  Elizabeta smiled at the two of them.

  “I’m afraid I can’t stay long,” Mikkel said.

  “Oh,” Lukas said disappointedly, dropping his head.

  “C’mon, Lukas,” Elizabeta said, waving her hand at him.  “Let’s go inside.”

  “Okay,” Lukas complained, grabbing hold of his mother’s hand.  He turned and waved at Mikkel.  “Bye bye.”

  “See ya, Lukas,” Mikkel replied, waving at the boy.

  “Well, I guess this is where we part,” Feliciano said.

  Mikkel nodded.

  Feliciano sighed before he pulled his bag from his horse.  He turned to Elizabeta.

  “Don’t worry,” she said.  “Everyone that comes here is safe.  No one will harm you here.”

  Feliciano smiled faintly before he, Elizabeta, and Lukas all went inside.

  Mikkel turned his horse.

  Sadiq leapt from the tree branches.

  Mikkel screeched, tensing greatly.

  Sadiq chuckled.

  “I love that little scream,” Sadiq said.

  “Don’t patronize me,” Mikkel ordered.  His gaze fell on Sadiq’s torn jacket and ear covered in dried blood.  “What the hell happened to you?”

  “Four scouts for Germania.”

  Mikkel’s eyes widened.

  “Don’t worry.  I took care of them.”

  Mikkel frowned at him.

  “Are you okay?” Mikkel asked.  “Elizabeta could tend to you.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Good.  Let’s go back.”

  Sadiq frowned as Mikkel kicked the sides of his horse.

 

~~~~

 

  Ludwig was the first to stand.

  Ivan pressed his scarf into thigh in order to stop the bleeding.

  Gilbert still groaned, cupping himself, as he rolled on the ground.

  Ludwig stepped beside Ivan.

  “Tie it above the wound,” Ludwig ordered.  “It’ll stop the bleeding.”

  “It fucking hurts,” Ivan complained.

  “I know.  We need to find someone to take care of this.”

  “Or we head back!”  Ivan tightened the scarf around his thigh above his wound.

  Ludwig frowned.

  “We still need scout some more.”

  Berwald moved his arm as he started to regain feeling in his entire body.  He sat up.

  “My bow is ruined,” Ivan said, picking up his disgarded weapon.

  “Good,” Berwald said, standing up fully.  “If he didn’t destroy it, I would’ve.”

  “Are you okay?” Ludwig asked, looking at him.

  “I’m fine,” Berwald answered, ripping the arrow from his shoulder.  He only winced slightly.

  “You sure?” Ludwig asked.  “You took two arrows.”

  “I’m fine,” Berwald insisted, ripping the arrow from his ass.

  “Oh, yeah,” Ludwig said.  “I keep forgetting.  You take pain like a champ.”

  Berwald walked over to Gilbert’s side and kneeled.

  “I’m in so much pain,” Gilbert shouted.

  “You’re such a baby,” Berwald complained.  He grabbed hold of Gilbert’s arm and began to drag him towards the group of horses before throwing him onto his horse.  “Are you coming?”  He glanced over his shoulder at Ludwig and Ivan.

  “Yeah,” Ivan said after a moment.

  Ludwig wrapped one of Ivan’s arms around his shoulders and helped him over to the horses.

  “We need to find somewhere that could help us,” Ludwig explained.

  “I kinda saw the direction where Sadiq went,” Berwald said.  “He went that way.”  He pointed towards to the east.

  “Let’s go that way then,” Ivan said.  He started to grow pale.

  They all followed after him.

  Ludwig pulls on the chains around his neck before he fished out the thinnest chain and held the charm in his hand.

  It was a small pinkish-red seashell cut in half.

  All his life he’s always worn it, and it’s been so long that he doubts his love still has the other half.  It’s been fifteen years since he’s seen his love, and he doubts that she even remembers him, let alone the promise they made when they were younger.  This war prevented them from seeing each other, but Ludwig never forgotten her.

  Ludwig smiled down at the shell.

 

~~~~

 

  Feliciano ran his fingers, absentmindedly, over his seashell necklace.

  “We have lots of rooms for everyone,” Elizabeta explained as she lead Feliciano through the halls.

  Feliciano looked around.  His gaze fell on a little girl, about ten years old, peering out of one of the rooms.

  Feliciano stopped and turned to her.

  “Why, hello there,” Feliciano said.

  The girl slammed the door shut.

  Elizabeta and Lukas turned as Feliciano stepped back.

  “I’m sorry,” Elizabeta said.  “Wilma doesn’t usually like meeting new people.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Feliciano replied.  He stepped back towards them.

  “There’s others that want to meet you,” Elizabeta explained.

  Feliciano continued to follow her to a large open room with three other omegas and a baby in a cradle.

  One of the omegas, the one rocking the baby, had dark brown hair.  He turned, revealing his amber brown eyes, and smiled wide.  The other two omegas both had blonde hair, but one was lighter than the other.

  The omega with the glasses had brilliant blue eyes while the lighter blonde omega has medium brown eyes.

  They all stood when they saw them, and all stood around the same height.

  “Guys, this is Feliciano,” Elizabeta said, gesturing to him.  She turned to him.  “Feli, this is Matthew, Yao, and Tino.”  She gestured to all of them with her hand as she introduced them.

  “Hello,” Feliciano said.

  “Hey,” Tino replied, waving at him.

  Yao bowed his head slightly.

  Matthew only smiled at him.

  “Matthew doesn’t really talk much,” Elizabeta said.

  The baby cried softly.

  Elizabeta went to the cradle and lifted her baby into her arms.

  “There, there, baby,” Elizabeta soothed.  “Mommy’s here.”

  “Can I hold him?” Lukas asked, holding out his hands.

  “Okay,” Elizabeta said.  “Sit on the couch.”

  “Okey-dokey,” Lukas replied, sitting on the couch.  Elizabeta placed the seven month old baby into her eldest son’s arms.

  “How long have you three been here?” Feliciano asked.

  “About four years,” Tino answered quickly.

  “Two and a half years,” Yao said quieter than Tino.

  “Since the war started,” Matthew whispered, quietest out of all them.

  “That’s quite some time,” Feliciano said, looking between them.  “How many others are there?”

  “Only Wilma,” Tino said.  “We don’t get many visitors.”

  A loud knocked echoed throughout the cathedral.

  They all turned and looked at the front door.

  “Usually,” Tino continued.

  Another knock.

  Elizabeta hurried past them and went to the front door.

  Feliciano and the three other omegas followed after her.

  Elizabeta opened the door and gasped loudly, covering her mouth with her hand.

  Ludwig held onto Ivan’s arm that was wrapped around his shoulders.

  Blood stained his trouser leg.

  Gilbert still gingerly held his crotch, and Berwald stood firmly behind all of them.


	5. Chapter 5

  Tino’s eyes widened as he stared up at Berwald;  their gazes locked onto each other’s.  Tino stepped backwards.

  “C’mon,” Elizabeta said, waving them inside.  “We need water, towels, and the med kit.”

  Matthew and Yao hurried off.

  The room was filled slowly by a soft scent of vanilla.

  Elizabeta turned towards Tino, who was standing off facing a wall.

  “Tino?” Elizabeta asked.  “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine,” Tino answered quickly.

  “Are you alright?” Elizabeta asked, looking at Ludwig’s bruises.

  “I’m fine,” Ludwig replied.

  “Please, follow me,” Elizabeta said, waving them on.

  Ludwig carried Ivan to the room Elizabeta lead them to, leaving Tino and Berwald behind.

  Berwald stared at him.  He stepped closer, raising his hand.

  Tino turned and stepped around him, walking out of the cathedral.

  Berwald remained stonefaced before he turned and followed after him.

  Feliciano followed close behind Ludwig.

  Matthew and Yao returned with the water and the towels.

  “Put pressure here,” Elizabeta instructed.

  Ludwig did as he was told.

  Elizabeta turned and looked at Gilbert as he gingerly rubbed himself again.

  “Put some ice on,” she ordered as she untied Ivan’s scarf.  “Don’t put it directly on the skin.”

  Elizabeta reached up and grabbed hold of the band of Ivan’s trousers.

  “Um,” Ivan muttered, growing red in the face.  He glanced at the three omegas in the room.

  “I need to remove your trousers in order to tend to your wound,” Elizabeta explained.

  “Okay,” Ivan murmured.

  Ludwig looked around.

  “Hey.  Where’s Berwald?” Ludwig asked.

  Everyone looked around as well.

  “Tino’s missing as well,” Yao said.

 

~~~~

 

  Tino remained five paces in front of Berwald.

  The wind rustled the tree leaves.

  Berwald stopped, frowning hard.

  “Where are we going?” Berwald asked.

  Tino froze.  He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.  Tears streamed down his face.

  “Six years,” Tino said.

  Their hair and jackets continued to blow in the wind.

  “That’s how long I’ve waited for you,” Tino continued.  He spun around on his heels.  His eyes were wide.  “And that’s what you first say to me?!”

  Berwald remained quiet.  He didn’t move.

  Tino ran at him.

  Once again, Berwald didn’t move.

  Tino slammed his fists down onto Berwald’s chest.

  “What took you so long?” Tino cried.  “Why didn’t you come back?”

  Berwald remained quiet.

  Tino looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

  “You forgot about me, didn’t you?”

  Berwald’s face fell.

  “You did.  You did forget about me.”  Tino stepped back as he spoke.

  Berwald wrapped his arms around Tino’s waist and pulled him against his chest.  Berwald lowered his head and captured Tino’s lips.

  Tino’s eyes widened.

  Berwald forced open the smaller men’s mouth with his tongue before he pushed it inside.

  They stumbled over each other.

  Berwald lowered them to the ground gently, not once removing his lips from Tino’s.

  A thick cloud vanilla covered them.

  Berwald pulled back.  His pupils dilated.

  A thick layer of sweat laid on Tino’s forehead.

  “Tino?”  Berwald’s brow furrowed.  He moved his knee, brushing in between Tino’s legs.

  Tino groaned softly.  More moisture slipped from Tino, soaking his trousers.

  Berwald’s eyes widened.

  “Tino.”

  Tino’s chest heaved with every breath.  He hooked his hands underneath his knees.

  “Please, Berdie.”

  Berwald looked down at him over his glasses, hungry like a starved animal.

  He didn’t need to be told twice.

  Berwald ripped open Tino’s trousers and small clothes.  He tore open Tino’s shirt, bursting all the buttons.  Berwald snapped the collar around Tino’s neck, freeing the skin.

  Berwald lowered his mouth.  He broke the skin and lapped up the blood.

  Tino gasped loudly.

  Berwald ran his fingertips down Tino’s oh so sensitive body.

  Their scents blended together, both in the air and on their bodies.

  Tino gasped again, widening his legs.

  Berwald snuggled himself against Tino’s hips.  He continued to nibble and lick Tino’s neck.  Berwald released Tino’s skin, sitting back onto his ankles.

  With one hand, Berwald grabbed hold of Tino’s neck before he ripped his torn cloths and threw them aside.  His hands removed Tino’s trousers and tossed them away.

  Tino laid on his side.  His chest still heaved.

  Berwald turned him before he lowered his head.  He placed his hands on each of Tino’s bottom.

  Tino groaned as Berwald ran his tongue across his entrance.

  He shuddered as Berwald lapped up his slick.

  “Yes,” Tino cried.  Tears fell from his eyes.  “I can’t wait for you to fuck me.”

  Berwald pulled back from him.  He ran his tongue over his lips, licking off the leftover slick.

  Berwald replaced his tongue with his fingers inside Tino before he placed his mouth near Tino’s ear.

  “Don’t worry, baby.”  Berwald smiled.  “I can’t think of a reason to allow you to leave without my cum leaking out of you.”

  Tino smiled wide.

  “And perhaps leave enough to make two or three little puppies grow inside you.”  His fingers scraped Tino’s sweet spot.

  Tino’s eyes widened.

  “Yes, yes!” Tino cried.

  “You want that?”  Berwald added a third finger.

  “Yes.  I want that.”  Tino pushed himself back onto Berwald’s hand.  “I want all the puppies you can give me.”

  Berwald smiled.  He removed his fingers before he licked to slick off of them.

  Tino flipped himself onto his back.

  Berwald removed his overcoat.  He lifted his tunic, setting it on the back of his neck.  He dropped his trousers down around his knees.

  Tino’s eyes widened when he saw Berwald’s cock.

  It had the same appearance as himself, long, broad, and intimidating.  It was a good ten inches with an already weeping bulging red cockhead.

  “Oh, fuck,” Tino muttered, falling back onto the ground.

  “Don’t worry.  I’ll be careful.”

  Vanilla mixed in the air with strong oak and rain.

  “Please,” Tino begged, wrapping his legs around Berwald’s waist.

  Their hearts pounded in their chests.

  Berwald didn’t waste any time slipping himself inside Tino.

  The smaller man gasped loudly at the intrusion.

  “Relax,” Berwald whispered.  “Relax.”

  He pushed more into him.

  More tears fell from Tino’s eyes.

  “Breathe.”  Berwald covered Tino’s mouth with his own.

  Tino’s chest heaved.

  Berwald pulled out before pushing back in.

  Tino groaned with every thrust.

  “After this— after all this, be with me.  Be mine.  Forever.”

  “Yes.  I’ll be yours.”

  Berwald continued to push more and more of himself inside Tino with every thrust.

  Tino’s eyes rolled to the back of his head.

  Something struck Tino in his face.

  Tino’s eyes widened as Berwald stopped moving.  He looked up at him.

  Berwald narrowed his eyes.  His glasses laid beside Tino’s head.

  Tino chuckled softly as he picked the glasses up and put them back on Berwald’s face.

  They both smiled at each other.

  Berwald thrusted harder into Tino.

  “Fuck me!” Tino cried.

  Berwald grabbed Tino’s ankles and pinned his knees to his chest.

  “You won’t be able to walk when I get done with you.”

  Tino smiled wide.

  “Yes.  Fuck me like a bitch.”

  “You’re my bitch.”  Berwald grabbed hold of Tino’s neck.  “Say it.”

  “I’m your bitch.”

  “Louder.”  Berwald slammed harder into the smaller man.

  “I’m your bitch!”

  Berwald pinned Tino to the ground as he quickened his speed.

  “Good.  Never allow anyone else fuck you like this.”

  “Never.  Only you, only you.”  Tino shook his head.

  “Yes.  You’re only mine.  Only mine to fuck.”

  Tino framed Berwald’s face with his hands.  His cock ached as it tightened.

  Berwald grew harder inside Tino as he tightened around Berwald.

  Both of them tensed.

  Hot white streams burst from Tino’s cock and covered their stomachs.

  Berwald’s knot expanded and caught in Tino’s entrance.  His hot seed shot into the smaller man, filling him completely over and over, again and again.

  Berwald’s seed took easily— twice —in Tino’s womb and began to grow.

  Tino slumped backwards.  His arms fell to his sides.

  Berwald collapsed on Tino.  His cock still twitched inside the smaller man, continuing to spill inside the smaller man.

 

~~~~

 

  Ivan had fallen asleep before he was moved to a sofa to sleep more comfortably.  Gilbert held an ice pack in between his legs.

  Matthew had disappeared into his room to read, which was something he usually always did.  Yao sat beside the sleeping man on the floor, crocheting feverishly.

  Elizabeta stepped closer to Feliciano, holding a broad red leather collar in her hand.

  “What's that?” Feliciano asked.

  “It’s a collar,” Elizabeta explained.  She quickly glanced at the alphas.  “Just in case an alpha tries anything.  They won’t be able to bite through it.”

  “Can’t they just take it off?”

  Elizabeta remained quiet before she shoved it into his hands.

  “Just put it on,” she ordered.

  Feliciano frowned softly before he did as he was told.

  Ludwig stepped closer to Elizabeta.

  “I need to find our friend,” Ludwig explained.  “He’s been missing ever since we got here.”

  Elizabeta looked around as well.

  “Tino’s been missing as well.”

  “I suppose I can find him too.”

  Ludwig turned and hurried off.


	6. Chapter 6

  Ludwig stepped out of the cathedral, and an ocean of vanilla and rain soaked oak washed over him.  He covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief.

  _What the fuck,_  he thought.

  Ludwig followed the scent.

 

~~~~

 

  Ivan sniffed softly.

  Sunflowers.  Rich, sweet sunbleached sunflowers.

  Ivan opened his eyes, sniffing the air some more.  He turned his head.

  Yao hummed a tune softly, still crocheting.

  “Hey,” Ivan muttered.  “What tune is that?”

  “Oh, it’s something I made up,” Yao said.  “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m fine.”  Ivan’s gaze dropped to Yao’s hands.  “What are you making?”

  “A scarf.  I make scarves all the time.  Would you like one?  Seeing how yours is all bloody now.”

  Ivan hesitated for a moment before he nodded his head.

  “Yeah,” Ivan said weakly.  “I’d like that.”

  Yao smiled before he stood and hurried off.

  “I think he likes you,” Gilbert said with a snide smile.

  Ivan turned to him before his gaze dropped.

  “Looks like you have a shadow,” Ivan whispered.

  Gilbert’s smile disappeared as he turned.

  Matthew stood behind a wall with half his face peeking out.

  Matthew’s eyes widened.  His cheeks grew a bright red, and a cloud of nectarine scent surrounded him.  Matthew turned and hurried off.

  “Aw,” Gilbert said with a growing smile.  “He’s kinda cute.”

  “Well, maybe you should go talk to him,” Ivan suggested.

  Gilbert chuckled.

  “Maybe I should,” Gilbert replied before he walked off.

  Yao returned with twelve scarves of various different lengths and colours.

  “Which one do you like?” Yao asked, showing the scarves before holding up a beige coloured scarf.  “This one’s about the same length as the one you had.”

  Ivan smiled.

  _Sadiq grabbed hold of Ivan’s scarf and yanked it off of him._

Ivan frowned.

  “Do you have shorter ones?” Ivan asked.

  “Of course,” Yao answered.  “There’s this one.  This one, and this one.”  Yao lifted a red scarf, a blue scarf, and a yellow scarf.  “Which one do you like?”

  Ivan looked over the scarves.

  “I’d like this one,” Ivan said, grabbing the yellow scarf.  His hand covered Yao’s.

  The smaller man’s eyes widened as he stared at their hands.

  Ivan raised Yao’s wrist to his nose, inhaling Yao’s scent deeply.

  Rich, sweet sunbleached sunflowers.

  Ivan smiled.

  Yao’s face paled as he pulled his hand out from Ivan’s grip.

  “I’m sorry,” Ivan said, growing pale.

  Yao trembled slightly.  His sweet scent turned bitter.

  _Dammit,_  Ivan thought.  He mentally slapped himself.

  “I’m sorry,” Ivan repeated.

  Yao didn’t say anything, opting to stand and hurry out of the room.

  “I’m sorry!” Ivan cried, but Yao still didn’t stop.  “Fuck.”

 

~~~~

 

  Sadiq and Mikkel pulled the reins on their horses as they came up to the castle.

  Roma stood with his hands folded in the small of his back.

  “Is he safe?” Roma asked.

  “Yes,” Mikkel answered.  “He’s at the cathedral.”

  “Did you have any trouble?” Roma asked, glancing at Sadiq.

  “I ran into four of Germania’s scouts,” Sadiq admitted.

  Roma’s eyes widened.

  “They didn’t see Feliciano,” Sadiq added.  “I also beat the shit outta them.”

  Roma frowned.

  “I don’t think he’ll be safe there at the cathedral,” Sadiq continued.  “He should be here.  Where we can keep an eye on him.  Where he’d be safe.”

  “He's safe there,” Roma said firmly.  “He’s hidden, and if we lose this war—.”

  “Don't,” Sadiq interrupted.

  “If we lose this war and the castle gets taken, he’ll be able to escape quickly and be able to get to his brother in Spain.”

  Sadiq frowned slightly as Mikkel shrugged his shoulders in agreement.

  “We’ll be receiving new recruits later today,” Roma explained.  “I want the barracks ready to receive them.”

  “Yes, sir!” both Mikkel and Sadiq said.

  “Afterwards, I’d like to speak to the prisoner,” Roma continued.

  “Of course, sir,” Sadiq said.

 

~~~~

 

  Ludwig continued to hold his handkerchief over his mouth and nose as the scent of vanilla and rain soaked oak grew stronger and stronger.

  He stepped on a twig, and it snapped underneath his weight.

  Berwald turned, glancing over his shoulder.  He quickly grabbed hold of his overcoat and covered Tino’s entire body.  Berwald returned his shirt to its original position before pushing himself back into his trousers.

  Ludwig stepped closer.

  Berwald grabbed hold of the sleeping Tino and pulled him in his arms.

  Ludwig stepped in front of Berwald.

  “Had some fun?” Ludwig grumbled.

  Berwald continued to stare at him.

  Ludwig’s face fell.

  “You two claimed each other?” Ludwig asked, dropping his hand.

  Berwald nodded.

  “Oh, you bastard,” Ludwig scolded.

  “I love him.”

  Ludwig scoffed.

  “You’ve known him for less than an hour.”

  “Not true.  I’ve known him since I was seven.”

  Ludwig stared blankly at him.

  “He was my neighbor, up north.  Where we were born and raised.  We’ve known each other since we were kids.”  Berwald rubbed his forehead against Tino’s.  “Remember when I told you about the war up north.”

  Ludwig nodded.

  “He saved my life.  I’m here, because he risked his life for me.  I took him away and found someone who could heal him.  I went back to fight in the war, but when I came back, he was gone.”

  “And you lost the war.”

  Berwald nodded.

  “Yes.  We did, but Germania hired me.  It was a chance I could see him again.”

  Berwald pulled Tino further into his arms before looking back at Ludwig.

  “I won’t lose him again.”  He stood, still holding Tino, and stepped closer to Ludwig.  “If you or anybody else stands in between me and my Tino—.”  He leaned down so his face was a few inches away from Ludwig’s.  “I will not hesitate to cut you down.”

  Ludwig’s eyes widened as Berwald stepped around him and started to walk back to the cathedral.

 

~~~~

 

  Feliciano tugged on the collar around his neck.

  “I already hate this thing,” Feliciano complained.

  Someone slammed into him from behind.

  Feliciano turned.

  Matthew’s face flashed a deep red.  He turned back to his book in his hands.

  “You’re Matthew, right?” Feliciano asked.

  Matthew nodded his head, pushing his nose further into the book.

  “How long have you been here?” Feliciano asked.

  “About two years,” Matthew whispered.

  “That’s a long time.  I don’t know if I could stay in one place for that long.”  Feliciano chuckled softly.

  Matthew frowned.

  “Actually, I have no choice.  After my brother died, I have nowhere else to go.”

  Feliciano grew pale.

  “Oh,” Feliciano said.  “I feel bad now.”

  Matthew remained quiet as he stepped around Feliciano but stopped.  They both turned to the albino alpha standing behind a corner.

  Gilbert's face grew hot as he stepped back around the corner.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry that I keep updating this. I accidentally clicked on ‘Post Chapter’ instead of ‘Edit Chapter’, and I didn’t want to delete it.

  Matthew grabbed hold of Feliciano’s hand and hurried off with him.

  “Dammit,” Gilbert complained as he peeked around the corner again.

  “Who was that guy?” Feliciano asked.  “I mean, I’ve saw him earlier, but did you get a chance to talk to him?”

  “No.  I haven’t.”

  Feliciano glanced at Matthew as the other omega lowered his gaze.

  “He seemed interested in you,” Feliciano said.

  Matthew’s face grew bright red.

  “Maybe,” Matthew murmured.

 

~~~~

 

  Ludwig tried to keep pace with Berwald but always had to double his speed to even keep pace with the much taller man.

  Tino continued to sleep soundly in Berwald’s arms.

  Ludwig glanced over at Tino.

  The sleeping man was almost angelic in appearance.  His features were soft and round, like any omega should.  Soft, sunbleached blonde hair rested on his forehead.

  Ludwig smiled softly, almost to himself.

  “What?” Berwald asked.

  Ludwig looked up at him.  His smile disappeared.

  “You’re making a look with that stupid face of yours.”

  “My face is stupid.”  Ludwig glanced away.

  “It is, and it’s annoying me.”  Berwald kept his gaze on him.  “What?”

  “What are you gonna do?”

  They both stopped and turned to each other.

  “I’m not sure,” Berwald said after a moment.

  “Elizabeta might not be too happy when she finds out what you did.”

  Berwald frowned.

  “I can’t bring him back.  Germania won’t accept him.  Even if he did, the others would try to get him for themselves.  I just can’t do that do him.”

  Ludwig frowned.

  “But if you take him back, she might not be happy.  Perhaps she might allow us to be together after the war comes to an end.”

  Ludwig frowned at him.

  “Perhaps.”  He was less hopeful as he glanced away.

  They continued at their regular pace.

  Elizabeta passed a window, glancing outward for a moment.  Her eyes widened as she saw them.  She turned and sprinted out of the cathedral.

  “She’s coming,” Berwald said, stopping in place.

  “What did you do?!” she cried, sprinting towards them.

  Both Berwald and Ludwig remained quiet.

  “Tell me now!” Elizabeta demanded.

  They were still quiet.  They didn’t need to.

  She needed to only sniff the air.  Vanilla mixed with rain soaked oak.

  Her eyes widened.

  “Give him here!” Elizabeta shouted, grabbing hold of Tino.  She stumbled backwards before she and Tino fell to the ground.

  Berwald stepped forward.

  “Stay back!” Elizabeta ordered.  She pulled a knife from her pocket and held it up.

  Berwald kept his distance.

  “How could you?” Elizabeta asked.  Tears began to fall from her eyes.  “How could you do this?”  Her mind went to what could’ve happened— what she thought most likely happened.

  Tino being dragged away by the brute of a man that stood before her.  Him being stripped naked and forced to take the man’s cock and possible knot.  Him crying out for help, for someone to save him— someone that never came.  He must’ve fainted from the shock.

  Elizabeta pulled Tino tighter against her chest.

  “How could you do this to him?” Elizabeta asked.  “He’s sweet and kind and gentle.  How could you do this to him?!”

  Berwald remained quiet.

  “Hey—,” Ludwig said, stepping closer and reaching for her wrist.

  Elizabeta whipped around, bringing the knife against Ludwig’s cheek.

  The skin broke, and blood burst from his wound.

  “Get out!” Elizabeta ordered.  “All of you.”

  Berwald blinked as his face fell.

  “Leave now,” Elizabeta shouted.

  “But I—,” Ludwig began before Berwald placed a hand on his shoulder.  Ludwig looked at him.

  “Don’t,” Berwald said, not looking at him.

  Ludwig turned back to Elizabeta.

  She still held the knife tightly.

  Ludwig frowned as he and Berwald walked away.

  “Are you gonna let her talk to you that way?” Ludwig whispered.

  They rounded the corner of the cathedral, and Berwald turned towards him.

  “Like I said beforehand,” Berwald explained, “I’ve lost him once.  I’m not going to lose him again.  If I have chance— even if it’s a small one —to get him back, I’m gonna take that chance.”

  Ludwig only stared at him, remaining quiet.

  Berwald turned and went inside the cathedral.

  Ludwig frowned again before he did the same.

  “I’ll get Ivan,” Berwald said, not looking at him.  “You should get your brother.”

  Ludwig remained quiet as Berwald walked off.

  He had an easy time finding Ivan, following his scent through the cathedral.

  Ivan smiled at him when Berwald stepped into the room.

  “Well, someone’s been naughty,” Ivan jested.

  Berwald frowned at him.

  “And people say that I’m bad around omegas,” Ivan continued.

  “Do you want me to break your leg?” Berwald asked.

  Ivan fell quiet.

  Berwald stepped closer to him, picking him up off of the couch.

  “Wait,” Ivan said.  “Where are we going?”

  “We’re going back.”  Berwald turned and carried him out of the room.

  Ivan frowned as he caught another whif of sunbleached sunflowers.  He caught sight of Yao sitting in a corner.

 

~~~~

 

  “Bruder,” Ludwig said when he found Gilbert.  “We need to go.”

  Gilbert frowned at him.

  “Why?” Gilbert asked.

  “Berwald fucked one of the omegas.  The one named Tino.”

  Gilbert’s eyes widened as he turned away from the window.

  “What the fuck?!” Gilbert cried.  “Why would he do that?!”

  “Apparently they knew each other before the Northern Rebellion, which they were separated during.  He spent years trying to find him again.”

  “Damn.”  He glanced over his shoulder, out the window.

  Ludwig frowned as he glanced at the window.

  “What's out there?” Ludwig asked.

  “See for yourself.”  Gilbert stepped back as Ludwig took his place.

  Outside, Matthew and Feliciano sat on a stone bench, talking and giggling to each other.

  “You’re such a creep,” Ludwig said, not looking at him.

  “You’re not looking at me.”  Gilbert smiled.

  Ludwig frowned, still not looking at his brother, instead keeping his gaze on the beautiful auburn haired omega.

  “Should we say our goodbyes?” Gilbert asked.

  Ludwig shrugged his shoulders, but he turned and opened the door leading to the outside with Gilbert close behind.

  Both Matthew and Feliciano turned as the alphas stepped out.

  “We’re gonna go,” Ludwig said.

  “Has Isaac healed already?” Matthew asked.

  “Ivan,” Gilbert corrected.  “And no.  He hasn’t.”

  “We’ll take him back to our group,” Ludwig explained.  “We have medics that could help him.”

  “That’s good,” Feliciano said, turning and smiling up at him.  “It would be a shame if he were to die.”

  “Yes.  It would be,” Ludwig agreed.  His gaze fell to the necklace around Feliciano’s neck.

  It was a small seashell, about the size of a penny in length, cut in half.  It was pinkish-red with white and yellow specks.

  Ludwig’s eyes widened.

  _No,_  he thought.   _It can’t be._

  “When did you get this?” Ludwig asked.

  Feliciano thought for a moment.

  “About fifteen years ago,” he answered.  “Why do you ask?”

  _That’s impossible!_

Sweat grew on Ludwig’s forehead.

  “Nothing,” Ludwig said, dropping the necklace and turning away quickly.  “We should go.”

  Gilbert frowned as Ludwig grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him away.


	8. Chapter 8

  Berwald placed Ivan gingerly onto his horse.

  Ivan groaned as he sat back into the saddle.

  Berwald turned his back towards him.

  Both of their gazes fell onto Elizabeta sobbing and holding Tino tightly.

  “Someone was very naughty,” Ivan jested again with a sly smile.  He glanced down at Berwald.

  The taller man’s face fell.  He raised his fist before he slammed it down onto Ivan’s wounded thigh.

  “Ahh!” Ivan cried, clutching his leg.  “I fucking hate you.”  He fell off his horse.

  “You did that to yourself,” Berwald reminded.

  Ivan helped himself back onto his horse as Berwald kept his gaze on Elizabeta.

  His shoulders slumped forward slight.  He dropped his gaze.

 

~~~~

 

  Gilbert continued to gripe and complain as Ludwig lead him to the front of the cathedral.

  Lukas stood by a window staring outward.  He held his little brother in his arms, tenderly bouncing the baby.

  Both men froze.

  “What are you looking at?” Gilbert asked after a moment.

  “Mommy’s crying,” Lukas answered, not turning towards them.

  Both Gilbert and Ludwig stepped closer to him.

  “Is Tino sleeping?” Lukas asked, looking up at them.

  Both men remained quiet, glancing at each other.

  “When Matthew came here with his brother,” Lukas continued, “he cried like that.  They rode in on a horse, and Alfred had a lot of arrows in him.  I didn’t think that was healthy.  Then, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.  Mommy said that Alfred was sleeping.  He’s been sleeping for two years now.”

  Gilbert frowned as he glanced at Ludwig again.

  “Is Tino sleeping?” Lukas repeated.

  “No,” Ludwig answered.  He smiled at him.  “Tino’s not sleeping.”

  “Why is Mommy crying like that?” Lukas asked.

  “She’s just upset,” Ludwig said.  He sniffed the air.

  Lukas’s scent was fairly faint but distinct: sharp cinnamon blended with lemon.  Most of his scent came from his mother, but his mother also often left the scent of his father, deep pine.

  Ludwig’s gaze fell to Lukas’s body.

  A pure white dress hung loosely around his little body and ended around his ankles.  He had his shoes shined brightly.

  “You’re gonna be a good big sister?” Ludwig asked with a smile.

  “Huh?” Lukas replied.  “I’m not a girl.”

  Gilbert chuckled softly behind his hand as Ludwig’s face grew bright red.

  Emil stirred in Lukas’s arms and whimpered softly.

  “I’m gonna put him into bed,” Lukas said before he left.

  “You thought he was a girl,” Gilbert teased.

  “Shut up,” Ludwig ordered before he stormed off.

  Gilbert followed close behind him.

  Berwald was the last get on his horse, and he was the slowest to leave the cathedral grounds, often glancing over his shoulder to steal glimpses of his omega.

 

~~~~

 

  Elizabeta continued to hold Tino until he woke, only a few minutes after all the alphas left.

  He blinked as he sat up.

  “Are you okay?” Elizabeta asked.  “Are you hurt?”

  “No.”  He shook his head as he looked around.  “Where’s Berdie?”

  Elizabeta’s eyes widened.

  “Why would you want him around?”

  “Because he’s my alpha.  We promised ourselves to each other.”

  Elizabeta blinked at him.

  “Did he force you to do that?”

  “No.  He didn’t force me to do anything.”  He smiled softly.  “It was the most amazing time I ever experienced.”

  Elizabeta frowned.

  “Where’s Berdie?” Tino asked.  “Did he go inside?”

  “No.”  Elizabeta refused to look at him.

  Tino frowned at her.

  “He’s not here, is he?” Tino asked.  He pulled Berwald’s coat tighter around his body.

  “No.  He’s not here.”

  Tino frowned.  His eyes filled with tears.

  “Why did he leave?  Why did he leave again?  And without saying ‘goodbye?’”

  Elizabeta pulled Tino against her chest.

  Tino allowed the tears to fall.

 

~~~~

 

  It took only an hour for the four of them to get back to their camp.

  Others, both alphas and betas, ran towards them.

  Berwald helped Ivan off of his horse and carried him over to Eduard’s tent.

  Ludwig went to his grandfather.

  “Did you find anything?” Germania asked, leaning back in his chair.

  “We’ve met Sadiq.”

  Germania’s eyes widened.

  “We tried to fight him, but he was better.”

  “Don't be too hard on yourself.  No alpha has beaten him in a fight.”

  “Ivan’s in Eduard’s tent.  He was stabbed through the leg.”

  Germania showed no emotion.

  Silence fell over them.

  “Tell , grandpa,” Ludwig said, stepping closer.  “Do the children wear dresses regardless of their sex?”

  “Yes.”

  Ludwig’s eyes widened.

  “They all wear dresses until they’re twelve,” Germania continued.  “Is something wrong?”

  “No.”  Ludwig turned his back towards him.  “Nothing.  I’m just tired.”

  “Sleep then.  Don’t worry about not getting too much information.  We managed to someone on their side.”

  Ludwig glanced at him over his shoulder.

 

~~~~

 

  Lili remained quiet as Basch lead her horse down the road.

  “How long will I stay there?” Lili asked after a moment.

  “Until I get you,” Basch scolded.  “We’ve already been over this.”

  Lili frowned as she looked away from him.

  Basch glanced at her and frowned.

  “I’m sorry.  I know you don’t like this, but it’s better than living at that hellhole.  I have to do this for you.”

  Lili didn’t meet his gaze.

  “Do you understand?” Basch asked.

  Lili shrugged her shoulders slightly.

  “I want to give you the life you deserve,” Basch continued.  “This is the only way that could happen.”


End file.
